1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to navigation systems, and more particularly to an on-vehicle navigation system, capable of predicting a system user""s destination preferences from a user""s speech. Based on the system""s prediction, the system suggests an appropriate destination, and navigates the vehicle to a final destination.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the popularity of networks such as mobile communication networks, the Internet, satellite communication networks, and mobile terminals such as cellular phone terminals and personal digital assistants (PDAs), vehicle compartments are no longer restricted from using forms of communication. This enables on-vehicle devices to freely communicate with external devices for transmission/reception of information. For example, desired information such as event information, traffic information, and weather information can be obtained from external information providers, the Internet, or homepages over mobile communication networks. Drastic improvements in the performance of computers, or LSI (large scale integrated) chips, have allowed speech recognition techniques to be significantly improved. As a result, a word-spotting technique has been developed in which a preset keyword can be extracted from a user""s speech.
Typically, an on-vehicle navigation system is useful to find a route to a final destination, to display the found route, along with a map covering the vehicle position and the neighborhood, and to navigate the vehicle to the final destination. In such a navigation system, a final destination is entered by a remote controller through key operation, or by using a speech recognition function. Accordingly, once a final destination has been decided, the final destination is entered into the navigation system.
However, even when a user of a vehicle navigation system has not decided upon a final destination, the user often desires to go somewhere for recreation, to eat, or to rest. Such a desire is often expressed through a user""s speech during conversation. As a result, it is convenient to provide a system capable of predicting user preferences from a user""s speech during conversation. It would be beneficial for such a system to suggest an appropriate destination, to set a suggested destination as the final destination that would satisfy the user, and to find a route to the destination.
In view of the foregoing needs, an intelligent vehicle navigation has been developed. It provides for a navigation system capable of (1) obtaining and storing information such as event information, traffic information, and weather information by using existing forms of communication, and (2) predicting a system user""s destination preferences by utilizing speech recognition techniques to suggest an appropriate destination, to derive a user""s desired destination, and to navigate a user to the desired destination.
One embodiment of a navigation system having a navigation controller includes a voice recognition unit for recognizing predetermined words spoken by a system""s user. This embodiment also includes a destination supposition and suggestion unit for predicting an appropriate destination, based on a user""s speech, and for audibly suggesting the predicted destination. Further, this embodiment includes a destination entry unit which enters the suggested destination as the final destination for the navigation controller, if the suggested destination satisfies the user. If the suggested destination does not satisfy the user, another appropriate destination may be suggested.
In another embodiment, the navigation system further includes a word data storage, a preference data storage, a facilities information storage, and an event information collection/storage. The word data storage contains words determining a user""s desired destination. The words are used to determine that a user has certain preferences such as recreation preferences or dining preferences. The preference data storage contains preference data for a user""s preferences. The facilities information storage contains facilities information, including the facility name and facility type, for each facility. The event information collection/storage collects and stores event information for each event, including the type of event, and the facilities where the event is being held. The destination supposition and suggestion unit may suggest an appropriate destination type to a user according to a user""s preferences as determined by the voice recognition unit. Additionally, the destination and suggestion unit searches the destination types that would satisfy a user, based on the event information or facilities information, to suggest an appropriate destination.
In yet another embodiment, the navigation system further includes a selection history data storage for storing items selected by a user as history data. The destination supposition and suggestion unit may determine and suggest an appropriate destination type or destination based on the history data.
The navigation system provides a mechanism to set a final destination through audible interactions between the navigation system and a user while allowing a user to focus on driving. The navigation system may suggest an appropriate destination or destination type based on traffic information, anticipated time, weather information, history data, etc., to aid a user.